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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is looking to make a real holodec, where artificial intelligence rules the virtual experience, providing an endless number of applications to be used for training, educational and casual purposes. Since Star Trek is the closest we've come to a holodec in the real world, Rensselaer is starting small(er).
[img src="" caption="" credit="" alt=""]A team at the Polytechnic Institute has created an AI program that has the same level of smarts as a 4 year-old, and he likes to play in Second Life. According to ITNews, Eddie has "his own set of beliefs, and the ability to reason about his beliefs to draw conclusions in a manner that matches human children his age." With a partially-developed Theory of Mind, Eddie has some level of comprehension that allows him to predict and manipulate the behavior of others, including human players that are interacting in Second Life.